The blog Doomed & Stoned has put together an extensive compilation of underground heavy bands in Portland, Oregon, which features Ape Machine's "Angry Man," Blackwitch Pudding's "Swamp Gas Of The Nevermizer," and a whole lot more. The site's founder, Billy Goat, comments:

"Portland, Oregon is known for many things--it's the 'Rose City,' clustered around the mighty Willamette River and nearby Mt. Hood, the home of Nike and the Trail Blazers, even a major network television show called Portlandia.

"But to the hard working locals, Portland is home two the two big things that really matter: brews and bad-ass rock 'n' roll. Doomed & Stoned in Portland is a snapshot of the heavy music scene right now in Portland--from the ever-popular Red Fang, Lord Dying, and Toxic Holocaust, to rising stars such as Sons of Huns, Ape Machine, and Drunk Dad.

"Most of all, here is a collection of bands with a strong DIY ethic--everything from experimental metal to a distinct brand of Northwest punk to the ultra-heavy metal doom giants like Graves at Sea, Usnea, and Stoneburner. Not to mention the bands that just like to "Keep Portland Weird" (Blackwitch Pudding, Pinkzilla, Big Black Cloud). Over 65 bands waiting for you to lend them your ears--and a free download, to boot. You may just discover your next favorite bands."

You can stream all the tracks below or pick up your own copy of the compilation at this location. The track listing is as follows: More...

Having released the walloping "Hold Me....But Not So Tight" LP last year, Portland's own Gaytheist will be dropping live album "Gaytheist: Live at The Banana Stand" via Banana Stand Media.

The album will be supported by a live in-store appearance at PDX's Millennium Music on May 4th and a release day appearance on May 6th at Mississippi Studios sharing the bill with Russian Circles and Witch Mountain as part of the Red Bull Selects showcases. Other Gaytheist dates and appearances include:

Punk infused power trio Gaytheist will be assaulting your ears and your hearts with new album "Hold Me...But Not So Tight," set for release through Good to Die Records on May 21st, 2013. We've now teamed up with the Portland act to premiere a track off the impending release.

Start your weekend with some energetic heaviness by soaking up the "Wisdom of the Asshole" and prepare for full on conversion to Gaytheism through the player below (the track may take a moment to load after clicking "play").

If you want to know how the band name came about and hear another track from the album, you can also check out our recent interview with vocalist Jason Rivera right here.

You can hear more from the band and find additional info on Gaytheist via Facebook. The "Hold Me...But Not So Tight" track listing is as follows:

Recently out of hibernation, Portland label Eolian Empire is preparing to release the most ambitious and dedicated project on ITS diverse roster this Spring, with the newly-completed "Keep Our Heads" label compilation. The following press release was issued about the compilation:

"The tiny D.I.Y. label more focused on maintaining a kinship with their regional underground music scene than attaining national acts or breaking into charts, the clan at Eolian has literally dedicated thousands of hours to arranging, collecting, compiling, mixing and preparing this massive offering of what they consider the best of their local underground, with Keep Our Heads.

"Aligning metal, sludge, doom, prog, punk, rock, thrash, hardcore, noise and unclassifiable anti-genre acts from across the region into a herculean ninety-nine-minute soundtrack to the Portland heavy underground, Keep Our Heads bears twenty-six exclusive tracks from stalwarts in the scene, like some twisted, many-headed beast raised on the soundtracks to River's Edge, Lost Highway, and Repo Man, practically all the tracks recorded in Portland specifically for this release.

"Keep our Haeds features acts: Acre, The Ax, Big Black Cloud, Crag Dweller, Diesto, Drunk Dad, Fist Fite, Gaytheist, Gone to Croatoan, Honduran, Hot Victory, Humours, Ix, LKN, Lord Dying, Nasalrod, Norska, Order of the Gash, Palo Verde, Prizehog, Rabbits, Redneck, Sei Hexe, Sioux, Tiny Knives, and Towers. The comp will see release digitally and on a limited-run cassette on May 1st, the cassette run including both a digital download and a slick beer koozie. View the full track/band listing below, and place pre-orders here."

As a public preview to Keep Our Heads, The Obelisk has released a brand new track from riff-crushers Diesto -- a precursor for the band’s upcoming LP on Eolian this Summer -- alongside a peek at what is going on with this comp. Check it out right here. More...

Good to Die Records is thrilled beyond all measure to announce the release of "Hold Me...But Not So Tight," the new album by power (bottom?) trio Gaytheist.

Set for a worldwide release on May 21st - on vinyl, of course - the new full-length finds the three-piece staying the course with an abundance of punchy riffage, huge drums, and Jason Rivera's arch, limp-wristed take on life and love. The label comments:

"Gaytheist recorded 'Hold Me...' in a whirlwind session earlier this year at Interlace Audio with Stealth Beats producer Stephan Hawkes. Don't let the brevity of the efforts give the impression that the album will sound rushed and half-assed. Rather, it's a testament to the tight musicianship between front man and guitarist Jason Rivera and his crack rhythm section Nickolis Parks (drums) and Tim Hoff (bass). Gaytheist is as lean and mean as ever on these 12 songs."

Gaytheist, the band that About.com called “the musical version of Shark Week” and the Portland Mercury deemed “capable of leveling a city block,” is downright thrilled to announce the group will be heading out on a short tour in support of third LP (and first for Good To Die Records) "Stealth Beats."

The band will be venturing from its homebase of Portland, Oregon down to Albuquerque, New Mexico and back, leveling the Western states with a hyper-charged musical attack and leader Jason Rivera’s pithy, political, and pansied lyrics.

The Portland trio Gaytheist has just unleashed the "Stealth Beats" album via Seattle's Good To Die Records. You can find it streaming in its entirety on the band's official Bandcamp page right here. Meanwhile Gaytheist has added a few additional dates to a string of Northwest shows in September and October, with more touring in the works. Details are as follows:

Good To Die Records has released a compilation album online for streaming and "pay-what-you-want" download. You can check out the release, which features punk, rock, and metal acts, in the player below or over at bandcamp. The label also commented:

"Good To Die is ready to get you caught up with its first digital-only compilation. Featuring tracks from all of the label's releases to date, this handy little primer is rife with furious riffage, impassioned singing, and energy to spare. This free collection wraps together tracks from prog-metal dynamos Dog Shredder, the angular, furious punk outfit Deadkill, and the titans of sci-fi power rock Sandrider.

"This compilation also boasts a pair of exclusives. You can grab your first taste of Portland's queerest rockers Gaytheist, via 'Condemn The Condemners,' a cheeky politically minded blast from the trio's upcoming full-length Stealth Beats (out on August 21st).

"And you get your first glimpse into Good To Die's most recent signing: the sludge punkers from Portland known simply as Rabbits. A sample of the band's future Good To Die release, 'Meth Valley 99' both pays homage to the influence of Sonic Youth and gives the trio a chance to show off their love of steaming noise and throat-shredding screaming. All the goodness of Good To Die in one neat, tidy, and cost-free package? What the hell are you waiting for? Those eardrums of yours aren't going to puncture themselves." More...